One Piece: School Days
by chance987
Summary: Luffy goes to a strange new place that he has never been before: school. He will experience a whole slew of new things, classes, , drama, and romance in ways that only high school can. People have judged him because of his past, and here he has a new start. That is-until his past catches up with him. Will the bonds he has made with his new friends be enough to survive high school?
1. Chapter 1

My first fanfiction story! Any and all reviews are welcome to help me improve both my writing and the story. I hope you have a nice day and I am looking for someone whom I can trust to proofread and offer suggestions on how to improve the chapters.

First Day

The wind whistled through the cherry trees, their blossoms pink with the coming of spring. A few petals had already begun their descent to the ground, riding the breeze in a lazy spiral before finally making contact with the hard grey surface of the sidewalk.

A lone student meandered down the sidewalk. He swung the bag in his hand back and forth and had a spring to his step. The boy looked around, his eyes drinking in all of the scenery around him with the thirst of a curious child.

Other students walked behind him, throwing the occasional glance to him and whispering amongst themselves. "What is that on his head?" One girl whispered loudly, jabbing a finger in his direction. "It looks like some kind of hat," a boy answered, "But look at his uniform, he must be from our school." There was a collective murmur, and they continued with their whispering.

The boy payed no heed to their whispers. He adjusted the straw hat that sat atop his head with care. His inky black hair peeked out from under it, the little tufts catching on the breeze. When the school came into view, his equally black eyes widened.

"Suke!" He yelled, startling the people behind him. "It's the biggest building I've ever seen!" He ran towards it, stars in his eyes.

 _Just_ _where did this kid come from?_ That was the shared thought of the group. The school was small by the standards of buildings in the city, being only 3 floors high.

He stopped in front of the school, soaking in the place before him. This was the place that Ace was making him go "to do something besides eat meat all day long". Personally, he thought that it was stupid and had even made his opinion quite clear to his older brother, only to receive a hard knock upside the head as a response.

But now? Where was he supposed to go? Someplace called the "student office", as Ace had called it when he was instructing him on what to do when he got to school, or the "big grey building" as he had put it into terms that his little brother could understand. He had tried to give him directions on how to get there, but they were lost on him.

Concentrating, the boy tried to figure out a way to locate the student office. He placed his index fingers on his temples as if that would somehow help. The heat rose to his face, and beads of sweat began to roll down his face from the exertion. "Too much thinking," he murmured.

A few moments later, he spoke to himself. "Got it! I'll just ask somebody." He began to scan the area for any potential people to ask for directions. Spotting a green haired guy sauntering towards the entrance gates of the school, he sucked in a full breath. "Hey green hair!" He yelled, his voice bouncing off the gate and gaining the attention of all those in and around the gate.

Said guy stopped and tensed up. He slowly turned around, and looked at the perpetrator of the yell with a glare that would cause most to pee themselves at the spot. What he saw instead of the expected response stunned him. The boy who had yelled at him was _smiling_?! It shocked all of those around them, who stared at the scene, transfixed. He dashed towards him, his grin widening.

When he stopped in front of him, the green haired boy adjusted the katana bag on his back as if to warn the boy in a subtle fashion. "What the hell do you want?" He asked, his voice rough and somewhat irritated.

"Do you know where the student office is?" He asked, pulling a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. He uncrumpled it and showed it to the other guy.

The markings on the paper made no sense to the green haired guy, who had a poor sense of direction himself. "Tch. How the hell am I supposed to know?" He scoffed, retrying his glare on the smaller male.

"Okay, thanks." The smaller boy grinned. He saw the katana bag on his back and pointed at it, asking. "What's that?"

He looked at him like an expectant child. "It's a katana bag," he replied.

"Suke!" He yelled, enamored. "I've never seen a katana before!" The crowd watched, anticipating how the delinquent would react to such attention.

None of his intimidation tactics had worked on this guy, and he was so easily captivated. "…Thanks," he muttered. His eyes stayed fixed to the ground, not wanting to make eye contact. Meanwhile, the guy looked towards the school and saw something that caught his eye, because he was gone before he finally looked up and took notice. _What had just happened?_

The dojo stood on the eastern edge of the campus, close to the neatly manicured line of trees that lined the entire perimeter of the school's lot. It was wooden, and had a bit of a historical air to it that was stark in contrast to the modern metal structures that otherwise adorned the school ground. Built in a traditional Japanese style, it would have been a pleasure to gaze upon for one who had the *ahem* capacity to appreciate things like that.

It wasn't the dojo that had caught his attention, moreover, it had been the graffiti Jolly Roger that had been spray painted on the side of the building. Under it read: Lord Usopp, the most feared and awesome one on campus! The object of over 8,000 girl's affections. An impossibly wide grin spread onto Luffy's face, the reoccurring stars appearing once more. "Really?! That's so cool!" He exclaimed to no one in particular. His mouth hung open in amazement as he tried to envision what kind of person this "lord Usopp" guy was.

A pink haired boy who was passing by took notice of his state, brows furrowing together in confusion. He nervously adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat in a futile attempt to get his attention. "Hey," he said a little louder, gulping. Still no response. "Hey," he spoke louder, blood rushing to his face. Snapping out of his daze, he looked in the direction of the voice. He cocked his head at him in question. There was something…different about those black eyes that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Oi, are you okay?" the boy with the transfixing eyes inquired, taking a step towards the pinked haired boy. Nervously adjusting his violet glasses, he gulped. He needed to think of an excuse-and fast. "Um-I was ..Wondering if you were lost?" He asked awkwardly, jamming his hands into his pockets. "I'm Coby, by the way."

A smile crept onto the black haired boy's features. "Yeah," he laughed a little, "This is my first day of school." Coby couldn't believe his luck. _Whew, that was close._ He thought, internally rejoicing. Swallowing hard, Coby examined the new student. A messy uniform, a weird bag, and most of all that hat. The Student Office was going to have a hay day with him.

"I'll show you the way, follow me" Coby gestured in the direction of the office. He turned around and began to walk down the sidewalk. He took a few steps, and glanced back, and much to his surprise, the boy was not following him.

The look on his face must have been enough of a question, because the boy offered an explaination that had to be one of the strangest that had ever graced Coby's ears. "I don't follow others, I want people to follow me," he stated, staring unwaveringly at him.

"Why?" Coby asked, not sure if he really wanted to hear the explaination.

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I will be the freest man in all of the world," he declared with a confidence that seemed to radiate from all of his features, as if his very soul were trying to escape.

 _What is he talking about?_ Coby wondered, then he began to rationalize. _Okay, so this guy is definitely crazy._ Coby thought, _It would probably be best to back away slowly, but I did make a promise to him._ "W-what if I escorted you Monkey-san?" Coby asked cautiously, taking a step back. Luffy merely shrugged, and began to follow Coby to the student office.

"What do you mean I can't wear my hat? It's my _hat._ " Luffy demanded, arguing with the little old lady seated at the desk in the Student Office. His jaw was rigid, and his hands were gripping the edge of the desk hard.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Luffy-san, its school policy. You have to take off the hat," the lady adjusted her cat eye glasses that were held on a chain around her neck. "I don't make the rules."

Coby had tucked himself back into the corner of the room, but now he emerged a bit. "Luffy, there's really no use in-," he began.

Luffy cut him off. "This hat is very important, and I _will_ wear it," he insisted, leaning forward with his weight on his hands. "A very special person gave it to me, and I will never take it off until that day," he added.

The secretary sighed. _He's certainly a stubborn one._ She thought. There was a light knocking on the door and she diverted her attention from the stubborn boy and forced her best sweet old lady voice. The door opened and a pretty girl with short orange hair stepped in.

"Hello Tsubaki," she greeted the secretary with a charming smile. "Why hello, Nami," she spoke in a syrupy tone. Her brown eyes shifted over to the boy who was leaning on the desk with a determined look on his face. She glanced back at the secretary and they exchanged a look. _Help me._ The secretary mouthed.

Nami focused on the boy, or more challenge at hand. She hadn't seen him before, so he was probably a new student. She would put him in his place, and show him that he shouldn't disrespect his elders or others. What was with that hat? A hunch formed that the hat might be the root of the secretary's problems.

"Hey you," she spoke in an authoritative tone, placing her hands on her hips. "Why are you wearing a hat on school grounds?" Narrowing her eyes for good measure, she pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Because it's special to me," was his quick response. He turned to face her, and gave her a once over. "You should know, since you wear that tangerine pin." He pointed to the small pin that she wore in the center of her school uniform's bow.

Nami's eyes widened in surprise. _How did he know? No one's even noticed the pin before, so how could he? I have underestimated him._ "But pins are allowed to be worn on school uniforms as long as they don't imply anything that would be considered inappropriate for school." She began, a smirk working its way onto her face. "Hats, however are inappropriate under any and all circumstances." A sense of pride filled her for she had just quoted verbatim the school handbook.

"Bleh," was the sound Luffy made as he stuck out his tongue at her. Nami's eye twitched. He was a child, or maybe a moron.

The secretary sighed loudly in defeat. "Thank you Nami for trying. Luffy, I'll let the principal handle this at a later time, for now I need to get you a schedule and send you to your first hour." She spoke, rolling in her chair to where a heaping stack of papers was placed.

"Keep in mind Luffy, classes here are arranged according to the scores you received on the entrance exam. However, yours proved to be…. inconclusive, so for now you'll be placed in class 1-F. Your first hour is Japanese and is in room 3-17 on the top floor." She instructed, handing him a single sheet of paper. "Also," she added. "Your midterm exams will determine if you stay in your current class or if you'll move up."

Luffy stared at her blankly as she spoke, nodding occasionally but not seeming to take any of it in. Nami stared at him in wonder. _If he didn't pass the entrance exam, how the hell did he get in?_ She was snapped out of her train of thought by the secretary.

"Nami, can you please show Luffy to his class?" She asked somewhat insistently. Her eyes narrowed towards the corner of the room. "Coby, get back to class." She ordered, pointing to the door. He scurried out abruptly, but not before offering a slight wave to Luffy.

Nami glared at Luffy before huffing and exiting the room, with Luffy trailing at a safe distance. Why did she have to show the idiot the way?

How will Luffy interact with his new classmates? The question that will be answered in the next chapter! Any feedback is welcome!


	2. A new Class

The rambunctious chatter of students permeated from the cracked door of the classroom out into the hallway that was almost completely empty- save for the two students who walked a considerable distance apart. Nami held Luffy at such a distance from herself, it was almost like he was a wet dog with an awful odor. She stopped in front of the door of the classroom with a cracked, graying sign that read 1-F. Nami grimaced as she raised a pale hand to knock on the wooden door that splintered at the bottom and had a half cracked window.

A tall guy with green hair answered the door. He possessed what looked like a permanent scowl on his features. "President," he stated simply, looking down at Nami with an almost taunting look.

"Ronaroa Zoro," she answered, reaching out and grabbing Luffy by the collar of his shirt. "Here's one of your own, the new student," she spoke hastily shoving him towards Zoro. Luffy made a slight sound of protest, but instead looked at Zoro with a confused expression. Nami rushed off as quickly as she could, a sense of relief flooding over her. It was finally over.

Luffy entered the classroom to quite the sight or more of class of students that he was about to join. The class consisted of mostly guys, and there was a certain odor to it, not that it bothered Luffy. A few of them were smoking, the smoke curling up in tendrils before disappearing. There was a group who appeared to be playing some kind of gambling card game, the guys wearing tough expressions in attempts to scare each other into folding. Several bottles whose true contents were obscured by brown paper bags were scattered across the room, and there was the slight scent of alcohol. As Luffy stepped farther into the room, more heads turned towards him, their eyes honing in on the new blood.

Slender and slightly built with only a hint of muscle, once they had given him a quick look over, most didn't deem him as a threat and averted their attention from him. However, one pair of eyes remained trained on him as Luffy found an empty desk towards the back of the class and sat down.

Zoro could not figure it out in his head how this little guy had worked up the nerve to ask him for directions this morning. He had a reputation, after all. Even if he was a new student, he was bound to have heard of him if he was from the area. It wasn't just that either, people never easily approached him like that. He was just-

His train of thought was interrupted when a scene from across the room began to unfold. A few lackeys of one of the biggest bullies in school had gathered around Luffy's desk. They were similar to a pack of hungry wolves, vicious and conniving, but nothing without their alpha.

"Why don't you pay your dues to sit in that seat, eh?" One of them taunted, his orange hair falling into his face as he leaned forward on Luffy's desk. A shorter one with black hair drew closer, following the leader. "Pay it up," he added. The other two remained silent, but had looks that were just as sinister as the others'.

"No." Was Luffy's simple answer. "I don't have any." The punks grimaced and the black haired one leaned in. "Have you heard of our boss man, twerp?" He asked. "He's got a real rep 'round here."

Luffy cocked his head in confusion, a frown coming to his lips. "No. I haven't heard of anyone called boss man," he replied, shaking his head.

The black haired boy's eyebrow twitched. He grimaced and slammed a fist down on Luffy's desk. Through gritted teeth he spoke, "His name is not boss man, shithead. His name is Morgan, the man who rules the school with an iron fist. He got suspended last week for beating the shit out of some moron who didn't pay up," The other members demeanors seemed to darken at the mention of his name.

Luffy shook his head again. "What's so fun about ruling a school? Sounds boring," he retorted.

"Why you-," the black haired guy yelled, his pale face turning a deep shade of red. "Don't you dare insult Morgan-sama!" He reached for Luffy's hat. A hand shot up and gripped his wrist _hard._

Luffy glared up at the boy with a look that effectively froze the others in their places. "Do not ever touch my hat," he declared, his voice edged with malice. His grip tightened on the boy's wrist. The boy grunted in pain. Waves of throbbing pain stabbed at his wrist, unlike anything he had ever felt before, even when being threatened by Morgan. "It is very, very important to me." He released his grip and where he had held the boy's wrist was an angry, red hand-shaped mark that marred the skin. Clutching his wrist, the boy winced at the sharp throbbing.

Zoro's eyes widened slightly at his sudden reaction. The look in his eyes, it was not one he expected a kid of his looks to have. Was this the same guy who had grinned at him earlier like a little kid?

"Morgan will hear about this," he exclaimed. Before anything else could occur in their exchange, the door slammed open. All of the heads in the room turned towards the direction of the sound. A thin woman marched in and stopped at the front of the classroom, assessing the state of the room.

"Wow, they really gave you guys the shithole of the school, didn't they," she commented, looking at the half-fallen down chalkboard. Grimacing, she added. "I know that smell. I'll let you guys off today about it, but starting tomorrow there will be no alcohol or smoking in this classroom." Then, she winked at them. "Unless you take it somewhere else of course, then I know absolutely nothing about it."

There was a soft gasp from the guys. Never before had there been a teacher like this. It also helped that she was attractive. Blue hair fell in soft waves to her tanned shoulders, and her easy blue eyes were full of feminine beauty. More than a few male members of the class stared at her, transfixed. "My name is Miss Suzuharu, but you can call me Miss Nojiko, okay?" She told, rather than asked them. "I will be taking over this class for the remainder of the year. I am told that we have a new student today. Stand up and tell us something interesting about yourself."

Luffy stood up slowly, waving to everyone in the class. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I am going to be the freest man in the world!" He exclaimed, pumping his fists into the air. His eyes were squeezed shut in excitement, so he didn't take notice of those who were snickering at him, nor the majority who were staring at him like he was a moron. Miss Nojiko smiled a genuine smile at him, and turned around to start writing on the board. "If you guys do well today, I will give you a reward," she offered. (She means something like candy)

The seconds ticked on, time seemed to drag on for the students as the stared down the clock, waiting for the ever so tedious minute hand to meet its friend on the twelve. Stomachs rumbling, whatever they were supposed to be working on had slipped to the back burner of their minds, if it was still there at all. Even Miss Nojiko was glancing at the clock with an increased frequency, as if expecting it to magically become that time.

The blessed sound rang through all of the halls and classrooms in the school, bringing joy to all-the lunch bell. Classrooms cleared with the quickness of a herd running away from a predator. Luffy was at the forefront of the pack, fantasies of meat in his head putting his senses into overdrive.

When he reached to cafeteria, he tried to get into line only to be informed that he needed a meal ticket to purchase a lunch. Which lead him to go purchase said meal ticket from the machine, only to discover that, well, it costs money to eat; he didn't have any. He slumped down and frowned.

He turned away from the machine and looked at the lunch room with a curious expression. Everyone had split off into their respective categories: smart kids, jocks, delinquents…etc. but that's not what he focused on. Coby sat all alone at a table, hunched over his lunch.

"Oi Coby," Luffy called out to him, as he slid in next to him at the table. Coby tensed up. It was the scary kid from earlier. Must remain calm. He told himself as Luffy made himself comfortable.

"Why are you sitting here?" Coby asked nervously, staring at the surface of the table.

"Because we're friends," Luffy replied, smiling at him.

"Eh?" Coby was confused. "Isn't friendship something more-."

Luffy cut him off. "You helped me find my way to that strange office place didn't you?"

"Yes, but-."

"And friends help each other right?"

"…yeah."

"Then we're nakama," Luffy grinned. Coby felt some sort of odd joy mixed in with his confusion of Luffy's sudden declaration of friendship towards him. No one had ever called him their friend before. He looked over to say thanks to Luffy, only to find the boy transfixed on something. He followed Luffy's gaze and saw that his lunch was the object of his attention. As if on cue, Luffy's stomach growled.

"Did you not get lunch?" Coby asked.

"I'm broke," Luffy answered, huffing. "Which means that I can't…I don't want to say this…have any meat today." He pouted almost like a small child and Coby wondered why Luffy didn't have any money. It was usually customary for the parents to establish a lunch fund upon registration, but maybe-. Coby didn't want to pepper Luffy with too many questions on his first day, so instead he offered a rice ball to Luffy. "Here have this, my mom made them for my lunch. Friends share their food, right?"

Luffy stuffed the rice ball into his mouth all at once. "I don't know," he said with a full mouth. "I don't share my meat with others." Coby sweat dropped.

"What is your dream Coby?" Luffy asked abruptly, swallowing his food.

"M-my dream?" Coby began. "It's stupid, you don't want to hear about it."

"No one's dreams are ever stupid," Luffy spoke with a serious tone. He looked at Coby expectantly, and those eyes were getting to him. The butterflies in his stomach increased tenfold.

"I-I want to join the moral committee!" He declared louder than he had expected. A few people glanced their direction, but no one seemed to be too bothered by his sudden outburst. Luffy smiled in satisfaction.

"So that's what you want to do?" A female voice spoke from behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the long wait, I have been on vacation for the past few weeks but now I'm back with an update. I will now try an update every week, or maybe even more than that if I'm feeling particularly ambitious. As always, any feedback is welcome!

Coby's eyes widened in surprise, and he whipped around in the direction of the voice. A raven haired girl with shoulder length black hair smirked at them. Her sky blue eyes gazed at him tauntingly, stark against her tan skin. With a book in hand, she turned towards them to get a better look.

"You're Monkey D. Luffy, right?" She asked turning her piercing gaze to Luffy. "The man who will be the most free in the world, if I'm not mistaken?" She added with a small, teasing smile.

He beamed at her with the radiance of someone who has the true and unwavering certainty that one day their dreams will come true. "That's me," he answered with a nod. Her mouth fell open slightly, but she quickly recomposed herself. A tugging feeling of nostalgia came over and it took her back to a time long ago, a time back in year's past-.

 _No, No. Now is not the time for those things._ She thought, shaking her head in a futile attempt to rid herself of those thoughts. She offered him her hand. "My name is Nico Robin, I'm the school historian," Robin introduced herself. Robin offered Luffy her hand, and he shook it, whilst picking his nose.

His child-like manner was intriguing to her. There weren't a great many people like him that she had met in her span of seventeen years, if any. Luffy seemed to exude a sort of radiance that was infectious. Just from looking at him, she could feel the corners of her mouth tugging up. Yet, he didn't seem to be aware of it whatsoever, she mused as she watched him resume a conversation with Coby.

Robin opened her mouth to say something to him, but a large hand clapped on her shoulder. Her eyes widened first in shock, and then her body began to quiver in recognition, much like an abused dog does at the sound of its abuser's voice. Luffy's eyebrows raised as he watched her reaction, and Coby had a look of terror upon his face.

"Robin. Copier room. Now," a deep voice commanded. The owner of the voice was a large man in a formal suit. Dark hair was slicked back and a cigar stuck out between oddly white teeth. Robin attempted to calm herself, blue eyes dulling as she looked at the ground.

"Yes, sensei," she mumbled before turning to follow him. Averting her eyes from Luffy, she walked with the large man down the hallway. _Never let them see your tears,_ the reminiscent command played again in her mind.

Coby looked back at Luffy, and was taken aback by the look of anger in his eyes. The same eyes that had been twinkling in a grin not a mere moment ago now glared at the disappearing form of the teacher with an inferno that could have burned through the resolve of a man.

"That's Mr. Crocwski, he teaches 1st year English" Coby watched them until they were out of earshot. "He has a reputation around here for being a hard-ass. He'll bite the head off of anyone who disrupts his class, so we all call him Crocodile." Luffy nodded, seeming to be listening intently for once.

 _How had he known?_ The very idea of it bothered Nami. _That guy was a moron, wasn't he? He's an idiot, like all other guys._ She rubbed her temples in frustration, and shut her eyes. _On the other hand, why was she giving such a trivial thing so much thought?_ Unsatisfied, she shook her head, but her thought process was interrupted by someone loudly clearing their throat.

Nami opened her eyes and looked up, observing the state of her fellow student council members. Robin sat reading some sort of obscure nonfiction book. It was truly a wonder how she could read and carry so many books, it was almost as if she had an extra set of limbs. (*wink wink*) A boy who never spoke, so she had never bothered to learn his real name. He sat as the head of the field trip committee, in charge of planning all of the school trips. Nami wasn't sure if the committee was financially necessary, but they had never gone over budget, a quality she valued. He always had a bird on his shoulder that spoke on his behalf. A strong male named Sakazuki sat as head of the moral committee, and seemed to have a harsh sense of what he deemed as "justice." He was almost too strict and serious for his own good, but he did an excellent job at keeping the other students under control. Sakazuki was a towering second year and seemed to scare most of them into obedience. A final boy wrote for the meetings as secretary, Usopp. He sat as far away from Sakazuki as possible out of pure fear. He was great at writing things in a way that made the truth seem more glamourous than it really was. Now, they all sat in a sort of awkward silence.

Nami brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and sighed. "Shall we start today's meeting?" She asked rhetorically. Again, silence. She proceeded, "First order of business, Morgan," Nami grimaced as she read the name from her notes. "He had been suspended, but is expected to return on Wednesday." Usopp flinched as she spoke, and paused in his writing.

"Usopp?" Nami looked at him, arching a brow. Usopp gave her a nervous glance, and gulped before he spoke. "Rumor has it that he's been recruiting new lackeys, and his _activities_ are beginning to invade the school boarders."

"Rumors will be rumors," the bird on the nameless boy's shoulder sang.

"Nothing that the committee can't handle," Sakazuki retorted, narrowing his eyes at Usopp. "Speaking of gangs, Ronaroa Zoro got into another fight recently. What punishment do you, as president see fit for his offense?"

Ronaroa Zoro. The very name brought a bad taste to her mouth. He had been a hot topic at student council meetings lately, and it was beginning to get on Nami's nerves. "Did he cause any damage?" Nami sighed.

"1,000 yen, he broke a small Buddha statue in the history classroom," the bird informed Nami.

Robin looked up from her book, shaking her head. "What a waste," she mumbled.

"What?" Nami said through gritted teeth. She would find that Ronaroa. A vengeful idea formed in her conscience. "I say we put him janitor duty for the kendo team for a month." Sakazuki nodded his head in agreement.

Luffy sat in the front of the class, his eyes glazed over as he drifted off into his fantasy land. Visions of venison danced through his head, and he imagined sliding down a bacon slide into a bit full of drumsticks. A bit of drool had escaped his mouth as slowly dripped down his chin and onto his desk silently.

The teacher talked animatedly enough so that majority of the class payed attention, but nothing that she had talked about had piqued Luffy's interest. Seconds on the clock ticked down to the blessed time of day, and just before the bell rang, the teacher finished up.

"Luffy," Miss Nojiko's sweet voice pulled him out of his dream land. "I need to talk to you for a few minutes after class." Luffy shrugged just as the bell rang, and the other boys zipped out of class and headed home.

"I noticed you weren't paying attention in class today," she said, arranging a stack of papers on her desk. "I know it's only your first day at a new school, so I'll let you off for today." Luffy nodded and got up to leave.

"Sit down, that's not why I called you here today," she ordered, her tone snappish. Luffy huffed in disappointment and his stomach growled. Reluctantly, he sat down and looked at Miss Nojiko with a _better be important_ face.

"You don't have any records from any previous schools, Mr. Monkey," Miss Nojiko, spoke rifling through the stack of forms. "Would you by any chance be able to tell me why?"

Luffy pursed his lips. "No," he lied, his face making it obvious that he was doing so. He crossed his arms, and averted his eyes from her.

Miss Nojiko sighed and leaned forward slightly, giving him a nice view of her cleavage on purpose and fluttered her full eyelashes a few times. "It's alright if you tell me you know," she whispered, certain that her feminine charm would get her the answer that she was seeking.

"Ace told me not to talk about it with anyone," he answered, making the motions for zipping his mouth and throwing away the key. Miss Nojiko, sat back in her chair, defeated. Her probing, for once had been fruitless and it irritated her.

"Go ahead and go home. Just pay attention in class tomorrow," she spoke, unbuttoning the top of her shirt. Luffy nodded, and ran out of the room.

She hadn't told him the whole truth. There were no records of him anywhere, and she had looked through all of the files that the school had. It wasn't just a coincidence, her instincts told her and she would find out, for not knowing would make her curiosity chew at her mind if she did not seek the answers. _Who are you really, Monkey D. Luffy?"_ She thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Luffy arrived at his locker to find a flurry of students in and about their shoe lockers. He weaved his way through the throng to find his locker, situated right in the middle of the row of metal doors. As he switched out his shoes, one of them flew out of his hand and into the pathway of an unfortunate passerby. He bent over to pick it up, only for their knee to collide with his shoulder, sending them both to the ground.

Nami groaned and looked directly at the cause of her fall. As fate would have it, it was the same guy who had been on her mind all day. He rubbed the back of his head and opened his eyes, they too widened in recognition. It was then that she realized how close they were. Their faces were mere inches apart, and she was pressed up against him. Though he looked skinny, he was solid and wiry, and exuded warmth. His arm was wrapped protectively around her and rested in the hollow of her waist. The heat rushed to her cheeks, and her heart rate rapidly increased. A few snickered at the usually classy president's embarrassed state. She quickly got up to her feet and shot him an accusing look.

He picked up his shoes and got up, smiling at her. _Shishishi_ he laughed, readjusting his hat. _He was laughing? Yup, definitely a moron._

"Why are you laughing?" She demanded, taking a step back from him, crossing her arms. He stopped laughing, and was quiet.

Nami crossed her arms. "Anyway, it was your fault," she tapped her foot in anticipation. "You were in my way."

"You tripped over me though," he pointed out, reopening his locker and placing his shoes inside.

"You were the one who dropped your shoe," she argued, a smirk forming on her face because she was sure of her point's validity.

"You're stupid," Luffy made a face at her, sticking out his tongue. Nami's brows furrowed. She had not expected such a childish response. With that, Luffy walked away and into the crowd of students, disappearing in an instant.

 _You don't have time for the likes of people like him anyway._ Nami told herself as she turned and walked in the opposite direction. _He's just a stupid moron, not perceptive at all._ But at the back of her mind, there was the small, nagging notion: _Her heart had beat like crazy. It was just an embarrassing moment,_ she told herself. _Nothing more._

"How was school?" Ace asked later that night when Luffy finally returned home. Dressed in an apron, with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to reveal tanned, muscular forearms, he was sautéing some vegetables in a pan over the stove. The smell of cooked meat mingled with the sound of the sizzling vegetables, making Luffy practically salivate. Luffy dumped his stuff by the front door, and trudged towards the kitchen in a zombie-like manner.

"Meat…so hungry," he mumbled. Ace rolled his eyes. There was no getting a straight answer out of Luffy when he was hungry. The questions would have to wait until dinner.

"Dinner's almost ready Luffy, you can make it," Ace encouraged, turning his attention back to the vegetables. Luffy dragged his feet and sat down on his mat at the table. Turning off the stove, Ace took the pan to an aluminum dish on the counter and dumped the steaming vegetables in. "Luffy, can you help me set the food out for supper?" He asked, taking the lid off of the rice maker.

A sudden energy seemed to flow throughout Luffy at the mention of food. He quickly stood up and retrieved the vegetable dish. The process of setting out the food took a miniscule amount of time in reality, but to Luffy it seemed like it took Ace forever to scrape the rice of out of the rice maker and into a bowl.

Finally, they sat down at the table. Luffy began to reach for the food, but Ace slapped his wrist away. "Prayers first," he said, clasping his hands together and shutting his eyes. "Dear Lord," Ace began the prayer and without even opening his eyes, slapped Luffy's hand away from the food once more. "Please help this food to nourish our bodies. Amen."

Luffy lunged for the food like he hadn't eaten in years. He didn't even bother to pile it up on his plate, he just grabbed for it with amazing speed and stuffed it inside his mouth. Ace barely had enough time to get enough food on his plate.

"How was your day at school?" Ace asked, taking a bite of rice.

"It was really fweird," Luffy answered with his mouth full. "The weople there are really strange." Ace nodded his head, he understood, a skill he had acquired from years of living with Luffy. "There was this really klutzy girl there," he momentarily swallowed before proceeding to stuff his face even more.

"A girl now?" Ace asked in a knowing tone. "What was she like?"

"She tripped over me and then yelled at me. She was weird." Luffy said matter-of-factly. The bowls of food were emptied, but Luffy's plate was untouched. Ace rolled his eyes and chuckled. Luffy was not known for his way with the ladies that was for sure.

"But there was also a teacher who asked me about my school records. I told her I couldn't say," Luffy told Ace suddenly. "I don't know why, but I feel like you should know that." Ace's features darkened and he stared at Luffy.

"What was her name?" He inquired, leaning across the table.

"Ah, I don't know. Her name was Miss N-something," Luffy shrugged.

Ace sighed and plopped back down on his mat. _Sounds like someone is nosing around where they shouldn't be._ He thought. He would have to find out for himself.

 _Later that night_

The glow of the laptop illuminated Ace's features as his black pupils scanned the screen. He had finally found the teacher that Luffy had mentioned at dinner. Fishing the phone out of his pocket, he dialed a number in, and the phone began to ring on the other line.

"Tell Dadan we have a code 7,"Ace said in a serious tone.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the reviews! Things in this chapter get a little dark, fair warning. I hope that you are all having a good week. Enjoy!

With a glass of wine in hand and a half-empty bottle in the other, Nojiko was sprawled out on the couch, face flushed; and watching a rerun of a rom-com on the small television. She wore a man's white dress shirt that was half undone, revealing an ample amount of cleavage. Her short blue hair was tousled, and she stared at the screen with half-lidded eyes, almost swaying. A humorous scene unfolded in the movie, and after the punch line, Nojiko stared at it for a moment before breaking into broken laughter.

The door opened quietly, and Nami stepped in, dressed in her work uniform: a black miniskirt and halter top with red trim along the bust line along with black stilettos. She paused at the door mat, and threw off the pinching shoes one by one, landing with a _thud_ on the ground. Padding softly across the wooden floor of the kitchen, trudging her way into the living room.

Nojiko glanced up from the television, "Rough day at work, eh?" She slurred. "Ya know, dis show here is just great." She emptied her wine glass and then took another swig from the bottle. She parted it from her lips and some flowed out of the bottle and onto her shirt. "Damn it that was good wine." She cursed, assessing the stain with lazy eyes.

"You should really stop drinking, Nojiko," Nami said, reaching for the bottle with an outstretched hand. Grasping it, she gently pulled it away from her hand. "Now you should probably go get cleaned up, it's not good for your health to sit and be wet."

Slowly, Nojiko rose from the couch. She stumbled and then regained her balance. Nami set the wine bottle down on the coffee table and stepped over to assist Nojiko. With Nojiko's weight on her, they made their way into the bathroom. Nojiko fumbled with the buttons of her shirt, too inebriated to perform the fine motor skill. Nami sighed, and unbuttoned her shirt for her.

Even in her intoxicated state, Nojiko was beautiful. Her blue hair, although mussed, always seem to fall in just the right way. She had curves that seemed all the more taught with her tan skin. As Nojiko slipped off the shirt, she saw them. The tattoos that her sister had gotten in an expression of love towards her, so that she wouldn't be the only one with permeant markings on her skin.

Suddenly, Nojiko pulled Nami into an embrace. "I wuv you," she slurred, and Nami could smell the alcohol on her breath. "I will always lwuv and protect you as my little swister."

"Okay," Nami replied quickly, gently guiding Nojiko towards the door. "Let's get you to bed."

"But I don't wanna," Nojiko protested, resisting the gentle push. "Adults don't have bedtimes."

Nami's features contorted into a grimace. "You're sure not acting like one," she murmured. She practically dragged Nojiko into her bedroom. "Time for bed." Nojiko crawled onto the pallet and passed out almost instantaneously. Sighing, Nami covered her with a throw blanket that had been folded on top of the dresser. Sometimes she was the adult around here, and it fucking sucked. Nojiko began to snore peacefully and Nami exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

As she walked into the kitchen she almost passed a picture of a pink haired woman and two little girls. Instead, it had caught her eye out of her peripheral vision, and she stopped and picked it up. Her fingertips smoothed lovingly over the frame of the picture, a small sad smile creeping its way onto her lips. The woman had her arms wound around the two children, and she beamed with joy. Nami could almost feel her arm around her now, comforting her and telling that it was going to be alright. _Okay._ She thought. _I'll keep going for you, Bell-mere._

Setting down the picture carefully, Nami continued on into the kitchen. She grabbed a tangerine from a woven wicker basket and peeled off the tender skin to reveal the sweet inside. _Bell-mere was like that,_ she mused, before grabbing her bag from the ground and sitting down at the table with it. Nami finished her tangerine and opened up her bag, and removed a thick stack of papers. Procuring a pen from one of the pockets in her bag, she clicked it once and took a deep breath. _This was going to be a long night._

Later on that night

The window opened from the outside without a sound, and a dark figure stepped in, only faintly illuminated from the street lights outside. Nojiko rolled over in her sleep, mumbling something unintelligible. The figure stepped lightly across the room towards Nojiko, and pulled an object from a belt on his body.

Pointing it at her head, Nojiko was jolted awake by the feeling of the foreign object. She opened her mouth to scream, but a gloved hand covered her mouth. She was almost ready to bite the fingers when a soft _,_ yet distinct _click_ made her quickly think twice about her actions.

"You have been looking into things you shouldn't have, Miss Nojiko." A deep, undeniably male voice whispered into her ear. Nojiko's body went rigid. Luffy's face flashed through her mind, there had been something strange about the new student. "Seeking to know the secrets of others, but keeping so many of your own is hypocrisy."

Nami's face flashed through her mind. She had to keep her promise to Bell-mere no matter what the cost. "What do you want?" She asked softly, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"My employer wants you to agree keep your nose in your own business, as they say." He spole softly. "Or I'm going to blow your brains out and then proceed to spill all of you dirty _little_ secrets. Your poor little sister will be so sad."

The taunting tone that the figure had taken arose a sort of anger in her that she hadn't felt in a long time. But, now wasn't the time for such strong emotions. "I will stay out of it," she whispered, feeling her body relax a bit.

"It's going to take more than mere words, Miss Nojiko," he said, shifting his position until he was hovering over Miss Nojiko. "If the boss hadn't given such specific orders, I know what I would take," he practically purred, trailing the cool barrel of the gun down her smooth stomach. She could practically see the smirk on his face in the dark.

Sitting back on their haunches, they instead held up a small glass container that glinted in the faint light. Nojiko gulped at the sight of it, and the figure seemed to take notice. "My employer is a bit traditional, they entertain that the idea of blood oaths it sacred," he explained, drawing a small knife from his belt. "This will only a hurt a little bit," he whispered, before slicing open the end of her fingertip without warning.

He was right, there was a slight pain, but nothing unlike a bad paper cut. She watched, wide-eyed as he carefully moved her finger to drip blood into the container, filling it until it was half-way full, and then covering her finger with a handkerchief.

Turning to leave, he looked back at her and for the first time she saw his eyes. They were black, but didn't seem to exude evil. "I think you already knew this. But don't tell a living soul about our encounter, and this will be the last time we meet." With that, he was gone, closing the window behind him before disappearing into the night.

Nojiko exhaled softly, and turned over onto her side, the words he had said to her about wanting her. The way that the cool metal had felt against her heated flesh was sinful, she didn't know if she could have had the willpower to stop him after he had said that. _The alcohol must still be in my system._ She thought, running a hand through her hair.

The clock on the wall rang twice, the signal of the second hour of morning. Nami was still up doing her homework at such an hour, the girl's work ethic never failed to impress her. Sitting up in bed, she glanced at the window and then sighed. There would be no way that she could get any sleep tonight.

Getting up, she threw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts for decency's sake and went out to the kitchen where Nami sat hunched over her paperwork, the fluorescent light of the kitchen beaming down on her mess of papers.

"Still up?" Nojiko asked, approaching Nami. Nami jumped up, apparently startled out of her task. Her face softened when she saw that it was only Nojiko.

"Yeah," she responded with a tired voice. "The school's festival week is coming up and they are giving me paperwork left and right." Nojiko embraced her from behind. She looked back at Nojiko with a slightly confused look. "What's wrong?" She asked, wondering if Nojiko was still drunk.

"Nothing," she smiled, squeezing Nami tighter. Nami may act like the adult most of the time, and she could continue to think that. But, as she hugged her Nojiko decided that she would always protect her, even if it was only from the shadows.

What secrets are Nojiko and Nami harboring? Who is the mysterious man with the black eyes? But more importantly, what does he have to do with Luffy?


	6. Chapter 6

The second update in a week! Here's an update! Feedback is always welcome, and I will try to update again sometime this week before school starts!

 _The next morning at school_

"Nami-san, are you tired?" Robin questioned as they stood side by side next to the shoe lockers. Nami sighed. Even though she had caked on foundation and concealer this morning to hide here exhausted state, Robin was still perceptive as always.

"Yes, I was up all night with paperwork," Nami confessed, feeling like she could trust the older girl.

"Festival week?" Robin asked, looking back down to her book.

"Yup." Nami replied. No more words were spoken, due to the unspoken understanding between student council members.

Later that afternoon

Luffy walked home from school alone, kicking a rock in boredom. It was a long walk home, and it wasn't as if there was much to do to keep one entertained along the way. The city was essentially made of cement, with its large, imposing buildings blocking out the majority of the sky. Hell, it was only on rare occasions that anyone could feel a decent breeze.

The buildings in the region of town that Luffy lived in were in dilapidated condition, some of them even abandoned. They had broken windows, fading brick and rickety fire escapes. Another factor that they seemed to possess was that they were extremely close together on top, but farther apart on the bottom, which gave Luffy a rare idea.

Climbing the stairs of one of the nearby building's fire escapes, he was quickly on the roof of one of the buildings. Running across the top of it, he found that he could almost step across the top of one building to the other. He was delighted by his new pastime as was soon sprinting and jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

Swords clinking at his side, Zoro strode down the street with his head level. He didn't saunter as if he owned the street, but walked with a certain confidence and self-assurance. Punks loitered in the alleyways and thugs accompanied them on the sidewalks, exchanging glares in their petty struggle for dominance on the streets. Some of them shot looks at Zoro, only to be met with a twice as menacing glare that made them turn away their gazes like dogs with their tails in between their legs. His name was on their tongues, but those who knew the stories dare not speak ill or even of him in his presence. They didn't speak of his unusual choice of weapons, three swords that remained at his side at all times except for at school. Nor did they speak of his rumored skills in battle, most likely fearing the whispered stories to be true. However, not all of the punks were mindful and calculating.

Zoro continued to walk, his eyes fixed on the sidewalk in front of him. A figure stepped out into his path, stopping and turning to stare directly towards him. He kept pace until he was directly in front of them, and looked down. It was a young wannabe dressed in a black hoodie with the hood up, obscuring most of his face. He made his best tough face and stared up at Zoro, hands jammed into his pockets.

"You're gonna have to pay up if you want to walk in Morgan's hood," he threatened, grasping the gun in his pocket. He gulped, if the stories about this guy were true, he would be dead before he could even pull the trigger.

Much to his surprise, Zoro reached into his pocket and inquired "How much?" He asked. This guy was supposed to be fearsome and rip thugs like him to shreds.

"I-it will be fifty," he spoke loudly. Feeling bold over Zoro's submissive response, he added. "Or else."

Zoro was leafing through his money, counting out fifty, but he paused when something caught his eye. There was a flurry of motion and a muffled cry that echoed from the nearby alley. Glancing back down at the thug, he asked. "What the hell is going on there?"

"Just some collection work," he shrugged. Sticking out his hand, he said in a firm voice "Money. Now."

He was about to hand the thug the neatly folded bills when an ear-piercing scream erupted from the alley. "Mommy!" A female voice shrieked. Zoro whipped in the direction of the noise, eyes widening in recognition. He knew that voice from somewhere…

 _He sat alone in one of the booths, sipping at a bottle of water. The water was sipped delicately, because each drop in that bottle would be the only nourishment he would be getting for a while, at least, until he was allowed to return home._ _Sighing, he set down the half-empty bottle and watched the people around him._

 _The restaurant was nearly always abuzz with activity, people chattering on about their lives, the clinking of silverware as people ate, and the loud voice of the owner as she yelled "Order up!" so that she could be heard over the noise of the people. It was a happy place, even though the establishment itself was small and cheap. Attracting all sorts of people, the owner herself would not put up with any shit from anyone, a trait that made him chuckle; considering her attitude towards her daughter._

 _Her daughter was nothing more than a small child named Rika. Rika had black eyes and brown hair that was usually styled into pigtails. She had a delicate and kind demeanor, her mannerisms bringing a smile to the diner's faces. Zoro usually found children annoying, and somewhat tedious, but Rika had made herself the glowing exception on that day._

 _"Excuse me mister," a small, soft voice spoke. Zoro peeked up at her, disturbed from his nap. She bit her lip nervously, but with extended hands held out some rice balls. "You've been in here every day, and Mom says that you haven't ordered any food at all, and that she can almost see your ribs through your shirt."_

 _Zoro looked at her for a moment, and then shook his head. "I don't want them," was his simple reply. As if to argue with him, his stomach growled. "Besides, I don't have any money."_

 _Rika huffed. "That's why I'm giving you them, silly," she laughed, holding them closer to him. "Besides, I need someone to sample my cooking." Her eyes were almost pleading, and Zoro couldn't find it in himself to refuse, so instead of saying anything he grabbed a rice ball and took a large bite out of it._

 _He sat up with a start. "What did you do to these?" He yelled, looking from the rice ball to her. Rika opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead of telling her some sort of cold, harsh truth, he nodded in approval. The flavors mingled together in his mouth, coming together to form a flavor unlike anything that he had tasted in a long time._

Shoving past the punk, Zoro rushed into the alley. The punk pulled his hand gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Zoro with shaky hands. "I-if you take one more step, I-I'll shoot," he stammered. Zoro stopped and looked back at the punk with an expression that said _Try me._ He put his hand on one of the hilts of his swords to demonstrate his point.

The punk lowered his weapon, and looked at the ground. "I'm not cut out for this," he murmured.

"Then get the hell away from here!" Zoro yelled, making a dash for the alley. His steps echoed off of the high walls and the rank smell of garbage filled his nostrils. _This really is the place where all of the rats hang out._ He thought.

Turning the corner, Zoro saw the source of the noise. His suspicions were true, Rika's wrists and ankles were bound and she sat against the wall of a building, shaking in terror. A shiny piece of duct tape now covered her mouth, muffling her screams and cries for help. A few thugs surrounded her and had taken notice of his presence, their weapons already drawn. Zoro smirked, this was going to be fun.

Drawing a single sword, he rushed the men with speed that was almost blinding. Zoro sliced one of them across the chest, causing him to crumple to the ground. He fought off a couple more, but then noticed that the number of thugs had grown and was growing as more and more rushed in from the surrounding alleys. He had misjudged and not gone all out for this one, not drawing his other two swords to complete his Santoryu style.

 _Shishishi._ The faint sound of laughter echoed throughout the alley, effectively bringing the fight to a sudden pause. Looking down at them, from one of the buildings, was Luffy. He wore a wide grin on his face, and scanned the faces of the thugs. His smile grew even broader upon seeing Zoro. "Oi three-sword-san, you need any help?"

 _It was that weird kid from the other day. He's so scrawny, he probably can't throw a punch to save his life. He'll end up injured or worse._ Yet for some reason, a curiosity filled Zoro. He didn't know anything about this kid, so what would hurt in finding out?

"You're crazy," he smirked. He turned his attention back to the punks, "Now which one of you guys wants to get sliced first?" Luffy jumped down from the roof, kicking two thugs to the ground and knocking the wind out of them.

Luffy punched the first thug that rushed him in the face, and a there was a loud _snap._ He nailed another one in the gut, and kicked another one in his balls who had attempted to sneak up behind him. One of last of the thugs, sick of being beat by knives and fists, drew his gun and fired a shot towards the back of Luffy's head. Luffy casually stepped to the side, and the bullet bounced off the side of the alley wall. Before he could react, Luffy had him by the throat; with surprising strength for his small frame lifted the thug off of the ground until his feet were dangling. Glaring at him with a look that could kill, he threw the thug with one hand into the wall.

Zoro watched him in astonishment as he sliced down the final thug. Who was this guy? He had jumped down from a building, dodged a bullet and then thrown a guy into the wall. The look of him had definitely deceived him. As he turned around, Zoro braced himself.

"You were so cool!" Luffy exclaimed, stars appearing in his eyes. Zoro's mind reeled in surprise. Was the same guy he had just watched kick ass now acting like a fan girl who had met her idol? Something donned on him and he turned to see Rika, now unconscious, slumped against the wall. He sheathed his sword, and picked her up. Zoro looked her over, and she appeared to be unscathed. As gently, as he could he removed the duct tape. Rika grimaced in her sleep, but remained in her slumber. Drawing his sword once more, he sliced the ropes that bound her wrist and ankles.

Zoro began to walk in what he thought was the direction of the restaurant, but Luffy stopped him. "Isn't that the wrong way?" He asked, pointing in the opposite direction. Zoro made a sour look, but turned on his heel in the direction that Luffy was pointing.

Rika ran into her mother's embrace, tears pouring down her face. "Mommy-!" She cried, fisting her hands in her mother's apron. "I was so scared!"

Rika's mother rubbed her back in a comforting gesture, and looked up to the two boys. She mouthed a "Thank you" and tears welled up in her own eyes. Luffy smiled, and jabbed his thumb towards Zoro. Zoro lowered his head respectfully, and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Rika called out. Zoro turned his head towards her, waiting. "Thank you, Mr. Zoro! I owe you my life!" Tears still streaming, she wiped them with her sleeve.

"We're even now, remember?" He smiled slightly. Waving with one hand, he turned around and walked out of the restaurant. Luffy smiled, and followed him.

Once they were outside of the restaurant, they stood there for a few moments in silence. Finally, it was Luffy who broke the silence. "Do you want to be my nakama?" He asked nonchalantly, not looking at Zoro.

"I don't want any nakama," was his cold reply. He looked at the small boy, who now in the twilight looked wise beyond his years.

Luffy only smiled. "You sure needed some today," he retorted. Zoro was silent, and began to walk away. "Call me up whenever you're in a pinch. Even though you're strong, you'll still need help sometimes."

Zoro glanced back at him, smirking. "I guess I'll never be calling then." He then turned back around and continued on his way. Luffy smiled and turned to walk home in the opposite direction.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello again! This chapter gets a little dark towards the end, so fair warning! Please give any feedback on how I can improve the story!

Word has a way of traveling around, whether it be verbally, electronically, or even perhaps in another medium. How it got there doesn't matter, what matters is that word of Zoro and Luffy's involvement in a fight yesterday had reached Nami's desk. She glared down at the report on her desk, and her brows knit together in irritation. That Ronaroa would be the death of her, with all of his fights for gallant causes. He broke school policy like it was his job. It would be so easy to write up an expulsion recommendation if he was just some common thug who fought for no reason. This time he had beat up several thugs while saving a little girl who had been kidnapped. It wasn't just the fact that he did all of this so willingly, there was also the idea that he asked for no money for his deeds. He would willingly put his life in danger for no compensation. It was an idea that was almost foreign to her, especially considering the gory details of the fight that were thoroughly elaborated upon in the report. But, that wasn't all. Luffy had aided him in this fight, and it had surprised her. He didn't seem like the type who could break someone's jaw. His unexpected strength was almost, attractive in a way. _No! No!_ She shook the thought from her head. Now was not the time for such thoughts, she had a punishment to decide upon. An idea donned upon her. It would be different than normal protocol, but it would get her message about breaking the school rules across to them, particularly Zoro. On the line labeled: Punishment Acquired, she wrote in Must Participate in Sports day. A smug feeling of satisfaction filled her as she set down the pen.

A girl slowly approached a napping Zoro. He was sitting against one of the thick steel support beams underneath the bleachers, a secluded and quiet place. It was one of his favorite places to take his naps while cutting class, and the girl had become familiar with all of his favorite spots. Countless times she had been tasked with the job of tracking him down to hand him his slip and tell him his punishment. Gently, she tapped him on the shoulder. Nothing. He continued to snore on, undisturbed. She turned a shade of pink. She nudged him again, this time harder.

He cracked one eye and stared at her. "What do you want?" He demanded.

"Here's your slip for last nights incident," she began in her formal tone. "And the president had decided to be a bit more creative."

 _Great._ Zoro thought sarcastically. The president, was at least in his mind, the incarnation of evil. She ruled the school with an iron grip and was constantly on his tail about anything and everything. "Well-?" Zoro gestured for her to continue.

"She wants both you and Luffy to compete in the Sports Festival," she stated, looking at the ground.

"Hell no." Was his immediate response. "That's the dumbest punishment ever. I'll do something else."

"That's the thing. You have to." She said, scraping her toe in the dirt. Then, she added. "Don't tell her I said this, but you have to accept or you give her an excuse to expel you on the basis of "disobeying school authority."

Zoro grimaced. Of course she would be out for blood. "I'll do it then. But why would you be telling me this" He grumbled. "What events will I be doing?"

The girl gave him a sympathetic smile. "The president will be choosing them _personally,_ " she informed him. "And also, it's because you saved my little sister last night. We owe you our lives." He nodded his head but, a feeling of dread filled him, he would now expect the worst if it was the president. "Great," Zoro mumbled sarcastically. He slumped back against the pole. The girl gave a respectful bow of the head, and promptly left. Knowing the president, she would probably enter him in the most degrading events possible. Swimming? The thought of the skimpy speedo made him cringe. He drifted back off to sleep, and much to his horror, had a dream about having to wear a bikini to the swimming contest.

Nojiko was teaching and pointed to something in particular on the chalkboard to emphasize her point, only to have a male student raise his hand and ask, "Miss Nojiko, what happened to her finger?"

She gave him her best sugar-sweet smile. "I was grading papers and I cut myself on accident," she lied. Inwardly, she wondered how the students would react if she told them what really happened. "That is all, and now as I was saying." The male students blushed and didn't press on.

Something about the way she had said that stuck out to Luffy. She always moved with a fluid graceful motion, it didn't seem in her character to do something as clumsy as to get a paper cut. He had no idea how this thought had struck him through his usual fantasies about meat, but it had. She must have been lying. How he came to this conclusion, not even he knew. Perhaps it was instinct, or maybe something more?

After school, Luffy went home with a pit in his stomach. A girl had popped in during class and informed him of not only his punishment but also that they had called Ace.

"What the hell did you do?" Ace yelled as Luffy stepped through the front door.

Taking off his shoes, Luffy answered. "I kicked some thug's asses." He adjusted his hat and padded towards the kitchen and passed Ace. "I'm so hungry."

"You what?" Ace said through gritted teeth. He grabbed Luffy by the shoulder and spun him around to face him. "What did I tell you about things like that?"

Luffy shrugged. "I don't remember," was his excuse, and an honest one at that.

Ace's grip on his shoulder tightened, and he exhaled loudly through his nose. "I told you not to go attracting any attention, didn't I?" He yelled, releasing Luffy's shoulder. "But you went and got into a fight?"

Luffy only nodded, and turned away, continuing to scrounge for food. Ace watched him for a moment. "I can't go cleaning up after you all the time Luffy. I'm your brother, not your parent or protector," Ace whispered, cradling his face in his hand.

"No one asked you to," Luffy answered, grabbing a hunk of meat from the refrigerator. Ace looked up at him with a pained expression.

"If I can't protect you, then who will?" Ace asked softly. He peered up at Luffy who had paused mid-bite.

"I can protect myself. I'm strong now, I'm not your weak little brother any more Ace." He replied, tearing off a chunk of meat. "You don't have to protect me."

Ace's features darkened. "How you can continue to be so care free in light of what you're up against. You're always so naïve, Luffy." He said, irritated. He grabbed Luffy by the collar of his shirt. "They're always watching you Luffy, waiting to strike and drag you back to that place. Do you want that?"

Luffy's eyes widened and all of the color drained from his face. Fear flashed in his eyes. He dropped the meat onto the floor and began to shake uncontrollably. The face that had just a moment ago had been calm contorted into one of agony. Ace immediately felt remorse at his words. He himself had brought back the memories he had worked so hard to suppress.

He hugged Luffy, drawing him close. "I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to make you remember all of that." Luffy's shaking calmed slightly, but was still noticeable. Luffy felt so small and slight in his arms. "I will always be there to look out for you."

Luffy was silent, but stayed in his embrace for a few more moments before stepping out of it. "I am sorry," he stated, his voice devoid of emotion. He refused to meet Ace's eyes and slowly walked out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

 _What have I done?_ Ace thought. _What have I done?_


	8. Chapter 8

I'm sorry, it's been a while since I've updated, but I am back! Any reviews are appreciated! I hope you enjoy!

Ace nursed a beer and stared blankly at the television screen. It was a nature special about a lion pride, and in his intoxicated state, the lions on the screen took on the personalities of those he had come to know. The lioness that stalked the gazelle on the screen reminded him a little too much of that one girl, what had here name been? The look in her eyes had been one of fear at first, but it had quickly changed into one of lust. Her eyes had narrowed, giving her a sultry look. Needless to say, it had certainly been unexpected, but it had plagued his mind for the past few days. He took another swig, and it came to him with the sweet liquor. _Nojiko._

He whispered it, tasting the syllables. They rolled off the tongue nicely, yet had an exotic flavor to them. Though the lioness's gaze at the gazelle was one of lusty hunger, he imagined it would have been similar to what she might have looked like had their encounter continued. And he, the gazelle. She could have had complete and total power over him with a look like that. He gulped at the thought and chugged the rest of his beer.

The scene on the television changed to one of a pile of lion cubs. They tussled and rolled about in the dirt of the African savannah under the watchful eye of their pride. A male lion cub emerged victorious in the play fight with his siblings. He mewed victoriously, and eyed the leo*. Courageously, he stalked up behind him began to toy with his tail. The cub resembled Luffy in nature, the mischievous look in his eye, the lack of fear. But, as the male lion whipped around to look at the petulance to his tail, he was reminded of another quality of Luffy's: his vulnerability.

Luffy was a lion cub in the big bad world, and the lion was everything that Ace fought to protect him from. Thankfully, the lion only gave the cub a small swat with his paw. The cub, however, continued to paw at his father's tail. The lion had an expression much like an irritated father would, exhaling deeply and shaking his mane. Ace dropped the bottle on the ground and rubbed his eyes. _Luffy. Why can't you just be safe?_ He questioned internally, although he already knew the answer.

Ace rose from the couch and switched off the television, plunging the room into darkness, save for the light flowing in from the distant street lamps. Turning the corner into the hallway, he walked until he was at the second door to the left, and then slowly creaked it open. He sighed in relief. Luffy was fast asleep, his covers all twisted. He snored peacefully and turned over. _Just like a child,_ Ace mused. Shutting the door softly behind him, he retired for the night.

 _The next day_

The next day in Health class was quiet, almost too quiet for Nami's liking. She kept glancing over at Luffy, who stared blankly at the board. He seemed, devoid of his usual spirit, and Nami didn't like it one bit. She had expected irritation, anger, happiness, at least something from him. It was certainly unprecedented to not get any response out of the black haired boy. The notion was gnawing at her, so when the teacher had turned her back, she prodded Luffy's arm with her pencil.

"Oi." She whispered. "What's wrong?" She inquired, narrowing her brown eyes. Luffy's eyes met hers briefly, and then he turned back towards the board. Nami's eyebrows furrowed in irritation. She was not about to go away empty handed. The pencil's eraser came in contact with his bicep once more.

"Oi," she whispered, "What's wrong?" Luffy turned around to face her completely, and the look in his eyes was enough to freeze in her in her place. He held her gaze for a few more moments, heightening her anticipation.

"Absolutely nothing," was his response and he began to turn back around. _Well then,_ she thought, irritated. Grabbing his bicep, she quickly retorted, "Liar." His arm muscle was firm and felt nice under her fingertips, but she quickly withdrew her hand.

"Am not," he shot back, sticking out his tongue.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am n-," Luffy began before a nasal voice cut him off.

"Mr. Monkey, is there something so interesting going on behind you that it overrides the importance of your education?" The teacher asked, arching a groomed brow. Luffy turned back to face her and nodded his head.

The teacher jerked her head back slightly, taken aback by the honesty in his response. Gliding over to her desk, she continued, "Then may I suggest that you can find something just as interesting in the office, and not disrupt the rest of the class?"

Luffy rose from his desk wordlessly, and Nami followed him with her eyes, her heart pounding in her ears. He took the note from the teacher, and swiftly left the room. The teacher returned to the front of the room and resumed teaching.

He had let her off easy. Instead of pinning the blame on her as well, he had taken the fall and gotten into trouble. Nami got a feeling that she was being watched and turned her head slightly to see Zoro glaring at her. She couldn't recall that Luffy and he were friends, save for yesterday's incident. Shifting her weight, she arched an eyebrow at him and resumed staring at the board. There was something in his look that gave her the shivers and she didn't feel like engaging him any further. _But maybe he would know what was up with Luffy?_ The notion prodded at her, and she glanced at Zoro who was gnawing at the end of pencil. _Yeah, real promising Nami._ She rolled her eyes at the thought.

But, when it comes to certain types of information, beggars can't be choosers. Nami found herself cornering Zoro in the hallway, her slender frame would prove to be no match for his burly one should he choose to escape.

"What the hell do you want?" He demanded, a vein expanding in his neck. Nami sighed, but figured since she had already gone to the trouble of cornering him, that she might as well ask.

"What happened between you and Luffy last night?" She pressed, making eye contact with the green haired boy. Nami drew herself up to her full height.

"I ran into him. We fought off some thugs, though I beat off more than he did. Then I left and got some sake," he responded, narrowing his eyes. "Are you planning something?"

"No!" She yelled, feeling the blood rush to her face. _I can't possibly tell someone like him that I was worried about Luffy today._ She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that luck would be on her side.

"Whatever," Zoro spoke, stepping away from her. "Can I go now?" Nami stepped to the side, and mumbled under her breath, "Agriato."

 _Meanwhile in the Office_

Luffy sat in the chair in the secretary's office, his leg shaking furiously. The bespectacled women glanced up from her work momentarily to assess the teenager who had managed to get in trouble, twice, within his first week at school. "At the rate you're going son, you'll be expelled before your first midterm is up at best," she commented, before returning to her work.

"It doesn't matter," Luffy responded, looking directly at her with his large black eyes. Then he flashed her a small smile that melted her heart a little. She fell silent and resumed her paperwork. Luffy looked around the office, at all of its stark bleakness. There was one object of interest in the room, and that was a large crest that was almost completely obscured by the bright fluorescent lighting. It resided in the left corner of the room, and was embellished into a plaque of sorts that read in gold lettering: _Veni, vidi, vici._ His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to ask about the plaque, but the door to the principal's office opened and the principal emerged with his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Come on in, son," he ordered, rather than suggested. Luffy cautiously stepped into the room. "Sit." He gestured, his words cool and sharply pronounced. He sat in his plush office chair before asking, "What brings you down here?"

Luffy slid him the sheet of paper, and he snatched it up, rapidly scanning it with his dark brown eyes. "Disruption during class," he read under his breath. He looked up at Luffy and then shook his head, before setting the paper back down on the desk. Leaning back in his chair he pressed his hands over his eyes and sighed. "Its stupid shit like this..." he murmured, before trailing off and looking back at Luffy.

"What did you do, kid?" He asked, looking up at Luffy. Luffy shrugged, and the principal exhaled loudly. "I will let this one slide for today, since it's only your first week and all. Do it again, and I'll have a word with your guardian about your behavior." He stated, resting his forearms on his desk. Luffy stood up. "Well?" The principal said, "Get back to class."

 _Later on_

Instead of returning to class, Luffy wandered the halls. What he was searching for he did not know, but meandering about the campus had a calming effect on him. He hadn't met anyone in the halls yet, so he continued with his hands jammed into his pockets. The bell finally rang and a feeling of sweet release came over him. A taste of freedom, at least for the final two days of the week. He joined the jubilant hoard of students as they dashed to their shoe lockers, all eager to start the weekend. As he turned the dial to open his locker, a slip of paper fell out and onto the floor. Luffy bent down and picked it up. Written in neat, lacy handwriting was this message: Meet me outside the dojo after school. Hurry. Luffy's brows knit together in confusion, but he shrugged.

Just as the note had said, there was a figure leaned against the wall of the dojo, although there face was looking downwards, casting a shadow that obscured their features. As he drew closer, his eyes widened in recognition. With that orange hair, it was undeniable who it was. It was that girl he had met on his first day, now what was her name? His face flushed at the exertion, but after a brief moment he felt like he had it.

"Oi Natasha!" He waved, stopping next to her. Nami looked up at him and her eyebrow twitched.

"What did you call me?" She questioned, cocking her head.

"Hmmm…," Luffy thought. "Your name of course! Natalie!" He explained, a small smile flirting onto his lips at his accomplishment. Nami face palmed. _The idiot couldn't even be consistent with his incorrectness._

"That's not my name," she sighed. "I am Nami, with two syllables, not three." Luffy nodded, his stare blank.

"Nami," Luffy tested the name. Then his whole face lit up like that of an excited child. "I like it," he exclaimed. His enthusiasm was infectious, and Nami felt herself smiling a little bit as well. The way he looked at her with such joy, her pulse quickened a little.

Clearing her throat, Nami attempted to move the conversation forward. "Anyway," she began. "I called you out today to both apologize and thank you for earlier." Her heartbeat sped up even more so. _God, Nami get it together._ She internally criticized. Luffy was quiet and watched expectantly, a strangely studious gaze upon his face.

"T-thank you for taking the blame today in c-class," Nami spoke, her voice cracking. She averted her gaze to look at the ground and began tugging at the fabric of her skirt. "I'm sorry for getting you into trouble." She gulped hard, for swallowing one's pride is a massive task. She felt a warm hand clasp her shoulder, and she quickly looked up, her eyes wide.

Luffy was smiling at her, not a trace of anger in his eyes. "It's okay," he assured her, "My friends don't need to apologize to me." Nami quickly withdrew from him, practically jumping back.

"W-who said we were friends?!" She yelled, only widening Luffy's grin. A flush came to her cheeks, and she took several steps in quick succession backward. Nami stumbled and almost fell. "I don't need any friends!"

Luffy's smile was large enough now that it looked painful. "Do you want to be my nakama then?" He continued, unabashed by her statement.

"N-no!" She shot back. Her face was redder than her hair, and her whole body seemed to exude heat. After all, he had only asked her to be friends, but now she felt nauseous. "I h-have to go!" She sprinted away full speed before he could have the chance to figure it out.

Luffy turned in the opposite direction and walked away. Fist pumping he said, "Yosh, a new nakama."

 _Later that night_

Ace grimaced as he sat down at the long meeting table. Everyone save for he wore cloaks. "What are we, some kind of cult?" He commented as he slid into the chair to the right of the head of the table. There were some grunts in response, but no one uttered a word. Candles dimly illuminated the room and glasses of blood red wine set the table, one for each of the fourteen people who sat at the table. The man at the head of the table sat with his forearms resting on the table, keeping a careful eye on the others, who sat as if they were stone statues.

"You're late, Ace," he bellowed, his voice rich and deep. Ace smirked at him, and leaned towards him.

In a loud stage whisper, Ace asked, "Do we really have to dine with all these bastards tonight?"

Sounds of offense came from around the table. Something metal and shiny glinted in the dim light and the head's attention was quickly diverted from Ace. "Fujitora, we are here to talk business, not kill its proprietors," he spoke, his tone commanding. "Save any shit you might have with Fire fist and let it hit the fan at a later date." The others at the table snickered, and Fujitora glared at the head, but placed the revolver back inside his cloak.

The head cleared his throat and began, "Gentlemen, we are here tonight to discuss not only business, but any matters that might need resolving in the present." He paused and lifted his glass. "Let us toast to the continued peace between all of the factions in Tokyo. May we maintain our boarders and not infringe upon one another's _activities."_ He eyed Fujitora once more and raised his glass. "To peace." They all drank from their glasses, and almost as if on cue, scantily clad waitresses emerged from the doors along the walls carrying large silver platters of meats, cheeses, breads, and foreign delicacies.

Before the head could even take the first bite, Fujitora spoke up. "Did you get the blood from that one girl, Ace?" He inquired, glaring at Ace. Then he smirked, "You barbarian."

Ace smiled, and pulled out the small vile of crimson from his coat. "You're one to talk. They don't call you the Crimson Horror for nothing." His smile was not one of joy, but rather one of anger. It looked strained, and somewhat terrifying. He flicked the vial between his fingers and then placed it back in his pocket. Fujitora was silent, but still watched Ace with a deadly stare.

"What is your deal with finding an heir, Donquoixite?" A cloaked female asked, her tone intelligent. Donquoxite smilled, his sunglasses glinting as he looked up. He had a strange smile upon his face: wide with his tongue partially out.  
"Would you like to help?" He commented, a smirk replacing his grin. Donquoxite's eyes drank up what little the cloak didn't obscure. The woman was quiet, her bright blue eyes fixated on the table as if it was the most interesting thing in the room.

"That child would be pure demon with that sort of blood," yet another figure commented. His voice seemed impossibly deep, yet it had a sort of smoothness to it that reminded Ace of a well-crafted ship, well-crafted and without divots. A white moustache peeked out from the edges of his hood, moving as he spoke.

"Hmmm…," muttered Don Quoxite, looking upwards. As if he had some sort of epiphany, he smiled once more and gazed at the man seated next to the woman. Folding his arms behind his head he leaned back in the chair and nonchalantly asked, "Crocsie, would you be so inclined as to loan me your partner for say," he paused dramatically, "Reproductive purposes?"

Crocodile let out a large puff from his cigar and sighed. "My partner's personal effects are none of my concern." He spoke in a slow baritone. Don Quoxite frowned momentarily, but his usual grin returned quickly.

"Speaking of children," a large female mentioned, glancing in the direction of the head. "Whatever happened to that son of yours, Dragon?" As soon as she uttered those words, she realized that she had made an atrocious mistake. A collective, and seemingly fearful silence ensued. Dragon glared at her, and seemed to extend a foreboding aura that filled the entire room with an ominous energy. Even Fujitora gulped a little bit. Ace had a look of pity, with the corners of his mouth downturned.

"Alvira of the seventh district," Dragon spoke her title in a formal tone dripping with poison. He glared at her with a steely gaze, and she began to tremble. "What is the first rule of M.A.?"

In a shaky voice, she responded, "Never discuss each other's personal lives, and also never, under any and all circumstances mention disgraces to the head's family." Her palms began to sweat, and her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to mention him. It's just that he's your son and-,"she cut herself off by clamping her red lips together.

"It's too late to apologize," Ace said, his voice strained as though he it pained him to speak. "And I'm sure you're quite aware, Alvira, of the consequences of breaking any of the rules established by the head." He looked up at her, his black eyes downcast.

Suddenly, Alvira slammed her hands down on the table. "I won't take any of the bullshit rules that this motherfucker you guys call boss makes!" She yelled, promptly standing up. "Luffy didn't do shit and you all know it! Every last single one of you shitheads watched him grow up, yet you were just as quick to throw him out!" A pair of men in formal apparel came from the doors to the room, and tried to restrain her. She struggled and continued, "You're all a bunch of cowards who bow to this fucker's every whim!" As the two men dragged her away, Alvira uttered her final words. "Fuck you all," she whispered before she disappeared from the room. There were muffled screams, a single BANG! And then silence. The people remained silent at this exhilaration, only flinching slightly when the shot sounded.

Dragon looked around the room with a satisfied expression. The cloaked figures were rigid, anticipating his words. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, onto business."

 _Nami's house_

Nami sank deeper into the bubble bath, her short orange hair fanning out. She groaned in pain, and twisted her head about. The planning for the festival had not been an easy task, physically or mentally. Her neck and back were sore from the stiff chair that she sat at from the moment school ended to late into the night, finalizing paperwork and making sure that everything was in line. What hadn't helped is that she had found herself constantly distracted by thoughts of that Luffy, with his immature and childish ways. _Why him?_ She wondered. He was nothing like the tall muscular men she had always lusted after. He didn't have money, he was like a child, and was everything Nami had thought she hated in a man. _And yet-._ Nami pushed the thought out of her head. _There's no way._ She shook her head and sat up, revealing more of her creamy flesh.

She reached for the shampoo bottle on the ledge of the tub, and worked it into her hair. The way her hands felt on her scalp was glorious. _His hands were warm and strong. Earlier in the afternoon his hand had felt so nice._ She stopped shampooing her hair and attempted to shake the memory. She rinsed her hair and finished up her preparations for the night. She flopped down on the couch and turned on the television. _Maybe some T.V. will help me relax._ As fate would have it, _Hercules_ was on and it was Meg's song. The lyrics _I won't say I'm in love_ played and Nami quickly switched off the television and went to her bedroom.

Curling up under the covers, she sighed and rolled to her side. Her mind still raced of thoughts of him, and she was restless. _Leave it up to some idiot to keep me up at night, was_ her final thought before she drifted off.


End file.
